Unaffected by her friend’s annoyed outburst, Camille Waggoner chuckled and used her toe to push the wooden glider into a rocking motion.
From their comfortable seat beneath a large, old cottonwood, Emily-Ann could see a portion of the Hollister family, along with many friends and ranch hands, beginning to gather beneath the roof that covered the wide patio behind the Three Rivers Ranch house. Tonight, Maureen Hollister, the matriarch of the family, was throwing a barbecue for two reasons. For the first time in more than two years, Camille, the prodigal daughter, was back for a short visit. And second, the massive ranch was welcoming a new foreman.
“I’m not harping,” Camille said, “and you don’t think the folklore is nonsense. That’s why you’re afraid. That’s why you don’t want me, or anyone else, suggesting that your time as a single woman is coming to an end.”
Emily-Ann stared at her best friend since elementary school, until the absurdity of Camille’s prediction caused her to burst out laughing.
“Camille, pregnancy has done something to your brain. You’re losing touch with reality.”
Smiling smugly, Camille pressed her left hand to her growing belly and Emily-Ann didn’t miss the diamond wedding ring sparkling on her finger. Camille Hollister had become Matthew Waggoner’s wife nearly four months ago in a beautiful little Christmas ceremony down on Red Bluff, the Hollisters’ second Arizona ranch.
Since then, Emily-Ann had never seen her friend so happy. And why not? After being the foreman at Three Rivers Ranch for many years, Matthew was now manager of Red Bluff, along with being one of the sexiest men to ever step foot in Yavapai County and beyond. Plus, he was madly in love with Camille. How could any woman be so lucky?
Certainly not herself, Emily-Ann thought drearily. She considered herself fortunate if she got a wink from the old man behind the meat counter at Wendell’s Groceries.
“My thinking has never been clearer,” Camille spoke concisely, then reached over and gave Emily-Ann’s hand an affectionate pat. “I’m so glad you could make the party tonight. The two of us haven’t had a chance to spend time together. Not since my wedding and that was such a hectic occasion with so many people around us that we hardly had a chance to talk.”
“We’ve talked on the phone several times since your wedding.”
Camille frowned. “Not the same. When we have a conversation I want to see you.”
“You should’ve told me,” Emily-Ann said dryly. “The next time I call we’ll do FaceTime.”
Camille chuckled. “That’s not the same, either. So what have you been doing with yourself since the wedding? Other than running Conchita’s?”
Conchita’s was a little coffee and pastry shop located on a quiet street in Wickenburg. Since Emily-Ann was the only employee, other than the owner who prepared the pastries, the job kept her very busy six days a week. The salary she made was never going to do more than pay her rent and other living expenses, but she loved the job.
“I don’t have time to do much,” Emily-Ann reasoned.
“You’re still doing online college classes, aren’t you?”
Emily-Ann shrugged. “Yes. Just a few more hours and I’ll get my degree. But sometimes I wonder why I chose such a field to get into. I’ll probably make a miserable nurse. Taking care of a sick cat isn’t like tending an ailing human.”
“I happen to think you’ll make a wonderful nurse. When your mother’s health started to fail, you were always so good with her.”
“I had to do what I could. We couldn’t afford a real nurse to take care of Mom,” Emily-Ann replied, not wanting to think about that especially hard time in her life.
“Well, there’s always a demand for nurses.” Camille smiled encouragingly. “You should be able to get a job right in Wickenburg.”
“Making coffee for my friends would be far less stressful,” Emily-Ann said frankly. “But Mom had a dream for me and I don’t want to disappoint her.”
Camille slanted her a meaningful glance. “Just like I didn’t want to disappoint Dad about getting a college degree. Now your mom and my dad are both gone. But let’s not dwell on that sad stuff tonight. It’s party time.” With a cheerful smile, Camille reached over and hooked her arm through Emily-Ann’s. “And it looks like Jazelle has just arrived with a cart to restock the bar. Let’s go get something to drink.”
The two women walked across the backyard to join the group of people mingling on the patio. There were far more guests than Emily-Ann had expected and she was glad she’d taken extra care with her appearance this evening. Even though her mustard-colored blouse and dark green skirt weren’t anything fancy they flattered her curvy figure and she’d taken the time to braid a top portion of her hair and pin it to one side. She’d never be beautiful like Camille or her sister, Vivian, but for tonight she felt as though she looked decent.
“Emily-Ann! I didn’t know you had arrived!”
At the sound of the female voice, Emily-Ann turned to see Maureen Hollister hurrying toward her. The lovely woman in her midsixties gathered her up in a tight hug.
“I’m so glad you could come tonight and be with Camille,” she said happily. “My two little gingers. It’s just like old times seeing you girls together.”
“Except that now we don’t have our matching bangs and Groovy Girls dolls,” Emily-Ann joked.
Maureen laughed. “Too bad you grew out of those days. But I have the dolls packed away in a trunk of toys. Someday you two might want to give them to your daughters.”
“Uh—in about three months or so, if Camille has a girl, she’ll need hers,” Emily-Ann told her. “But you might as well keep mine packed away in mothballs.”
Maureen wagged a finger at her. “You’re forgetting, honey. You caught Camille’s wedding bouquet. Your time is coming!”
Laughing, Camille rolled her eyes toward Emily-Ann. “Don’t scream.”
Confused by her daughter’s remark, Maureen frowned. “Scream? Why would she want to do something like that?”
“Nothing important,” Emily-Ann answered, then quickly steered
